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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28460271">Dealing with Difficult Doctors</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mathmusic8/pseuds/mathmusic8'>mathmusic8</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Inspired by WishfulThinking1979's "Empire Reimagined" AU [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hornblower (TV), Hornblower - C. S. Forester, Star Wars - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dr. Clive (Hornblower) (mentioned), Dr. Henley (Wishfulthinking1979's OC) (mentioned), Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Not Beta Read, Probably ooc, but it was fun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:46:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,074</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28460271</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mathmusic8/pseuds/mathmusic8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
      <p>I was lying in bed when this idea occurred to me, and I knew I'd forget it if I didn't get up and write it down. I <em>think</em> the sleep sacrificed was worth it :D</p><p>I'm still very new to the Hornblower series, and I'm drawing primarily on the show for background here, particularly from episodes S02E1 "Munity" and S02E2 "Retribution". I hope you can forgive any OOC issues!</p>
    </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Inspired by WishfulThinking1979's "Empire Reimagined" AU [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2021743</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Dealing with Difficult Doctors</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wishfulthinking1979/gifts">Wishfulthinking1979</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/morwen_of_gondor/gifts">morwen_of_gondor</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28390890">In Which the Authors Allow Their Characters to Have Drinks Without a Fight Ensuing</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/morwen_of_gondor/pseuds/morwen_of_gondor">morwen_of_gondor</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wishfulthinking1979/pseuds/Wishfulthinking1979">Wishfulthinking1979</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I was lying in bed when this idea occurred to me, and I knew I'd forget it if I didn't get up and write it down. I <em>think</em> the sleep sacrificed was worth it :D</p><p>I'm still very new to the Hornblower series, and I'm drawing primarily on the show for background here, particularly from episodes S02E1 "Munity" and S02E2 "Retribution". I hope you can forgive any OOC issues!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Veers was not one to typically enjoy playing the host, but seeing how pleased Piett was with their new friends made it well worth it. They had taken Bush and Hornblower on a tour of their Lady, (“A truly magnificent machine,” Bush had said several times now) and now they were having dinner in the Admiral’s quarters. Hornblower had seemed apprehensive at the array of foreign foods, but after a taste of the nerf steak, he suddenly seemed much more interested in eating than joining the conversation.</p><p> </p><p>Bush had just finished telling Veers and Piett the story of retaking the <em>Renown</em> from escaped prisoners, including how he was gravely injured in battle. Veers was aware of the rather primitive era these gentlemen had come from, and for Bush to have survived such wounds was nothing short of a miracle.</p><p> </p><p>"You must have had a good doctor, Captain."</p><p> </p><p>Hornblower had his mouth full, but the way he nearly choked on it spoke volumes, while Bush glanced at him and smiled wryly. "Dr. Clive saved my life, yes, blast him."</p><p> </p><p>Veers and Piett shared a look of their own. "You were not well disposed towards the man, then?" Veers ventured.</p><p> </p><p>"I should say not," Bush agreed.</p><p> </p><p>Hornblower managed to swallow and glared down at his nearly empty plate in an uncharacteristically open expression of disgust, which carried strongly over his voice as well. "The man nearly cost us the whole ship and crew for no reason, except perhaps his own vanity."</p><p> </p><p>Piett and Veers glanced at each other again, each starting to smile slightly. "Gentlemen," Veers began, and Bush leaned forward, sensing a new potential patch of common ground, "have we mentioned a Dr. Henley to you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Not that I recall, sir," Bush answered, and Hornblower likewise shook his head, "but if I may say so, sir, you'll be hard pressed to find a man so untoward as Dr. Clive."</p><p> </p><p>Veers smirked. "Well, then, I propose we tell you about our Dr. Henley, and then you may decide if he surpasses your Dr. Clive in distaste, hm?"</p><p> </p><p>Piett sighed and put down his fork. "Max, the man has saved both our lives countless times now,"</p><p> </p><p>"Only twenty-six, Firmus between the two of us," Veers corrected pointedly. “That's hardly countless. Though the numbers do get fuzzier when we include his Lordship."</p><p> </p><p>Piett just rubbed his forehead, groaned another "<em>Max</em>," and then gave up fighting the inevitable.</p><p> </p><p>Hornblower looked slightly amused and cleared his throat. "You may endeavor to draw a comparison, General, but if the man is as good at his job as that, I fear you've already lost."</p><p> </p><p>"But you don't <em>know</em> Dr. Henley," Veers protested. "The fact that he's so kriffing good at his job makes him that much more unbearable. If we could use his vanity as an energy source, we could power the entire Lady for days."</p><p> </p><p>The two British Navy officers looked meaningfully around the room, which was well lit, warm, and comfortable—a far cry from than anything they’d ever seen on a military vessel before. Bush guffawed aloud while Hornblower simply raised his chin in challenge.</p><p> </p><p>Piett understood their doubt, but he had also been on the receiving end of Dr. Henley’s wrath more than most. He conceded, "I admit, Henley does have his moments. He just sent me a message yesterday threatening to declare me unfit, <em>again</em>, if I don't come in for my physical by the end of the week."</p><p> </p><p>"There, you see?" Veers gestured to his smaller friend "Does Admiral Piett seem unfit to you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Indeed not, sir," Bush agreed, and he toasted to Piett's health. "I suppose you could say our Dr. Clive had the opposite problem."</p><p> </p><p>"Oh?" Veers prompted when Bush hesitated.</p><p> </p><p>Glancing at Hornblower, Bush said, "Our captain was...well, he was rather mad by the time I transferred to the <em>Renown</em>. The Admiral and I were merely Lieutenants at that point, you’ll recall, and could do nothing until the doctor declared him unfit for command."</p><p> </p><p>The more Bush explained, the more horrified Veers and Piett became. Despite mountains of evidence pointing towards mental instability, this Dr. Clive had turned a deliberate blind eye over the captain's erratic behavior. Even after the captain was injured—with a head wound, no less—Dr. Clive continued to dragged his feet over the critical matter of command. For <em>days</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Veers at last shook his head. "You were right to doubt us, Admiral—Dr. Henley is infuriating at times, but he is no fool.”</p><p> </p><p>Piett nodded in agreement. "What finally made up his mind? He did declare the captain unfit at the last, didn't he?"</p><p> </p><p>"Indeed, at the very last," Bush nodded grimly, "but I was below when it finally happened." He looked to Hornblower, who had been silently contemplating at his now empty plate since his comment to Veers some minutes ago.</p><p> </p><p>Hornblower took a long draught of his drink and kept his eyes on the glass, explaining in simple factual statements how the ship had run aground under heavy enemy fire, the captain had drawn a pistol on Hornblower (the gun proved to be empty, thank heavens, or Hornblower would not be here today), and it was then and only then that Dr. Clive gave his consent that their captain was unfit.</p><p> </p><p>"He tried to take it back two minutes later, claiming it was given under duress," Hornblower recalled. "He said as much in my court-martial some months later, as well."</p><p> </p><p>Veers raised his hands in defeat. "I'll take Henley on his worst day over that. Under duress, he says, while you're the one with a black powder pistol in your face! You have my eternal respect and sympathy, gentlemen."</p><p> </p><p>A strange smile played about Piett's lips as he turned his glass in his hand. "I'd like to see Dr. Henley take half an hour with this Clive. He's quite passionate about his profession, and has no qualms at putting a man in his place, whether he be some hapless Ensign or Lord Vader himself."</p><p> </p><p>Veers smiled more and more broadly as his friend spoke. "Ah, yes, Henley would have some choice words for this doctor of yours."</p><p> </p><p>Hornblower allowed himself a rare smile and remarked, "I think I would enjoy that."</p><p> </p><p>"Here, here," Bush agreed, and they all drank a toast to Dr. Henley, who, for all his faults, could do his job well, and was officially <em>not</em> the most conceited doctor in the universe.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I considered just leaving a prompt for this idea since I know other people could have written it better, but by the time I got out of bed to write it down, I already had half the conversation worked out. So I thought, eh, why not?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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